This cross-sectional study assessed the zinc status of non-pregnant and pregnant women resident in the National Capital District (NCD), Papua New Guinea (PNG). Non-fasting morning blood samples were collected by venipuncture from consented women. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry was used to measure the serum zinc concentration in 27 non-pregnant and 100 pregnant women. C-reactive protein (CRP) in serum was measured by enzyme immunoassay and used to interpret the serum Zn data. For all the non-pregnant women, the median serum zinc concentration was 42.7 mug/dl with an interquartile range (IQR) of 27.6 to 91.2 mug/dl. Zinc deficiency was prevalent among 59% in this group of women. For those with normal CRP the median and IQR serum zinc concentrations were 48.9 mug/dl and 30.2 to 98.7 mug/dl, respectively. The median and IQR for all the pregnant women were 63.8 mug/dl and 40.9 to 93.2 mug/dl, respectively. Prevalence of zinc deficiency was 42% using the cut-off point of 56.0 mug/dl. Of the 100 pregnant women, 16 (16%) were in the first trimester, 51 (51%) in the second trimester and 33 (33%) in the third trimester. The median serum zinc concentrations of pregnant women in the first, second and third trimesters were 87.0 mug/dl, 61.6 mug/dl and 60.8 mug/dl, respectively. Using gestational period-specific cut-off points, zinc deficiency was prevalent among 31%, 39% and 36% of the pregnant women in the first, second and third trimesters, respectively. Our results clearly indicate suboptimal zinc status among non-pregnant and pregnant women in the NCD. According to the International Zinc Nutrition Consultative Group (IZiNCG) criteria, this should be considered as a public health problem among these groups of women in the NCD. To effectively address the issue, social mobilization, intensive education and awareness campaigns, with all relevant target groups and policy makers, are urgently required.
Zinc - deficiency, Pregnant Women

Zinc deficiency is a major public health problem in some resource-limited countries. This study assesses the zinc status of 90 pre-school-age children, aged 12 to 59 months, resident in the National Capital District (NCD), Papua New Guinea. Children attending the Children's Outpatient Clinic at Port Moresby General Hospital participated in this cross-sectional study. Informed consent was obtained from parents before using blood samples from their children. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry was used to measure the serum zinc concentration. C-reactive protein (CRP) in serum was measured by enzyme immunoassay and used to interpret the serum zinc data. The median serum zinc concentration for all the children was 83.6 μg/dl and the interquartile range was 64.6-103.7 μg/dl. The prevalence of serum zinc deficiency (Zn <65.0 μg/dl) among all the children was 26%; and 42% had elevated serum CRP level. Serum zinc deficiency was present among 31% and 20% of the children in the 12 to 24 months and over 24 months age groups respectively. The prevalence of serum zinc deficiency among the male and female children was 28% and 25% respectively. The high prevalence of zinc deficiency among the children may be caused by the high rate of subclinical infection and low bioavailability of absorbable zinc in the popular foodstuffs that they are consuming. The prevalence of zinc deficiency among the children with and without elevated serum CRP strongly suggests the need for continuous monitoring of the zinc status of pre-school-age children in the NCD
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